Photography and Videography

Maybe you’re a bird lover who doesn’t know your f-stop from your ISO speed. Or maybe you’re an experienced photographer who’s starting to discover the charms of the things with feathers. Whatever brings you to the world of bird photography, we’ve got the instruction, pro tips, gear recs, and inspiration you’ll need to get settled in.

Recent Photography Stories

A Cactus Wren perches atop a broken branch, holding a large, messy mass of downy feathers in its beak, with the feathers covering up the front of its face. The wren is a medium-sized songbird, mostly brown with darker stripes and spots and with a big white eyebrow.
Audubon Photography Awards

Our Favorite Fascinating Bird Behaviors from the 2022 Audubon Photo Awards

By Kenn Kaufman
February 23, 2023 — Every year the contest attracts entries capturing rare and unusual moments in the avian world. Check out these 11 highlights.
Sporting a spiky crest of caramel feathers, a brown female Hooded Merganser swims vigorously while proudly displaying a large, red crayfish she just plucked from the water below. Behind her, a large plume of water raises up behind her as she prepares to take off and escape the males, not pictured, that are after her meal.
Audubon Photography Awards

Our Favorite Female Bird Shots From the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards

By The Editors
February 08, 2023 — Females steal the spotlight in these 12 arresting images.
Vibrant red, juicy berries clustered at the ends of brown branches frame an American Robin, a dark-colored bird with a ruddy breast. Poised to swallow, yellow bill spread open with the tip of the yellow tongue flicking upwards, the bird reaches for a single red berry that appears to hang in mid-air.
Audubon Photography Awards

These Stellar Photos Show the Special Link Between Birds and Native Plants

By Jenny McKee
February 01, 2023 — Enjoy some of our favorite entries for the Plants for Birds category of the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards
Audubon Photography Awards

The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 12 Videos

By The Editors
January 25, 2023 — Check out this fantastic footage of birds in the wild, and discover the backstory behind each video.
A Tree Swallow in flight holds a pine needle in its bill. Slightly off the ground, the bird’s wings are pointing down, its tail slightly slanted. The bottom of the image is a blurred green, the grass coming into focus closer to the bird.
Audubon Photography Awards

The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: The Top 100

By The Editors
July 13, 2022 — Moments of delight and awe abound in this collection of standout bird photography. Scroll through and learn the story behind each shot.
Shey Smith (left) and Tatyana Soto (right)
Photography

How Bird Photographers Shey Smith and Tatyana Soto Developed Their Passion

By Gabrielle Saleh
July 11, 2022 — Smith and Soto talked with us about all things bird photography, including how they took the leap to chase after their passion.
A photographer sits on a sandy beach, her lens balanced on one knee, photographing birds in the distance.
Photography

How to Sandproof Your Gear for Beachfront Photography

By Jason Gregg
July 08, 2022 — The beach can be a photographer’s dream—or worst nightmare. Tame unruly sand and salt spray with these pro tips and key tools.
Audubon Photography Awards

The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions

By The Editors
July 07, 2022 — A fledgling raptor learning to hunt. Grouse aiming to impress. Two grebes vying for a meal. This year’s winners caught amazing moments.
A bright yellow Prothonotary Warbler emerges from a cavity in a mossy cypress knee, a woody structure that grows near the base of a cypress tree.
Behind the Shot

To Protect Her Subjects, a Photographer Chooses Patience Over Playback

By Carlyn Kranking
April 08, 2022 — Kelley Luikey wants birders and shutterbugs to recognize that playing recorded songs can stress vulnerable birds.
A Common Merganser parent stands on a rock with six small youngsters, looking at the photographer out of its periphery. The female’s cinnamon head and feather crest, and the pale ruddy heads of the still-downy chicks, pop in the glow of the morning light.
Audubon Photography Awards

Make Some Time for These Adorable and Awkward Baby Bird Photos

By Jenny McKee
March 03, 2022 — Here are 15 of our favorite shots featuring chicks from the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards.

Galleries and Photo Essays

Bird vs. Building: Portraits of Flight Gone Wrong

Minneapolis artist Miranda Brandon gives victims of bird strikes new life.

Indigo Bunting. Miranda Brandon

Peregrines—and a Photographer—Bunk Out at Chicago Man’s Apartment

A flower-box nest provides the perfect opportunity for some close-up shots of a plucky falcon family.

Peregrine Falcons. <a href="http://www.lmasseyimages.com">Luke Massey </a>

Who’s Who?

These owls may wear the same game face, but when it comes to personality, they’re as different as day and night.

Photos: Brad Wilson